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Angel One (episode)
For the article about the planet, see Angel I. Riker struggles with a planet's female leader, while a plague on the Enterprise prohibits sanctuary for the rebels. Summary The ''Enterprise'' has discovered the wreckage of the Odin, a freighter that disappeared seven years earlier. It was disabled by a collision with an asteroid, and there are no lifesigns on board, but three escape pods are missing. The Enterprise travels to Angel I, the nearest class M planet, to search for survivors. Angel I is a female-dominated society, ruled by six elected mistresses and a leader known simply as "the elected one". It has been 62 years since the last Federation contact with the planet. The Enterprise hails the planet, and Troi speaks with the elected one, Mistress Beata. Although initially wary, she agrees to let an away team beam down to visit the planet. As the away team head for the transporter room, they pass Wesley and a friend going to the holodeck for a skiing lesson. The away team of Data, Riker, Troi and Yar beam down to the planet, where they meet with Beata and ask about any survivors that might be on the planet. Still suspicious, she asks why they are only coming now, and Riker explains that the discovery of the freighter was unexpected. Their only purpose in coming is to find any survivors and bring them home. Another member of the council, Ariel, expresses her misgivings, and Beata refuses to tell them if there are survivors. Instead Beata’s male servant, Trent, takes them to another room. Troi reckons that Beata’s refusal to tell them about the survivors confirms that there are survivors. Back on the Enterprise, Picard tells Worf in the turbolift that they have to prepare for a trip to The Neutral Zone when the away team returns, as Romulan battlecruisers have been detected near a border post. As they pass the holodeck, they are hit by a snowball thrown by Wesley. Picard scolds him. He also detects an unusual smell that Worf identifies as Klingon. Data is investigating some perfume when Trent returns to bring them back to the council chambers. Beata tells them that, although the decision was not unanimous, they have decided to tell them about the survivors. She says there were four of them, and their leader is a man named Ramsey. However, they are now fugitives in hiding: some time after arriving on Angel I, they started to abuse the hospitality they received and began to cause trouble. She warns Riker that they are dangerous. Meanwhile, Dr. Crusher tells Picard that Wes and his friend are sick with a respiratory ailment. She is, however, working on a vaccine. On the planet, Data suggests that they can locate the survivors by searching for platinum, an element not found on Angel One, but which would have been brought by the survivors. Data asks La Forge to begin the search. Riker is brought an outfit worn by the men of the planet, as he wants to wear it when he meets Beata. Troi and Yar find his appearance wearing the outfit hilarious. Dr. Crusher examines Captain Picard, pronounces him unfit for command, and orders him to bed. He relents and tells La Forge he has command. Geordi sits in the captain’s chair, and Worf tells him the platinum has been located on the planet. Riker meets with Beata and tells her the Enterprise has found the location of the survivors. Ariel is still suspicious and tells Riker this, then she storms out. Riker waits with Beata and tells Yar to begin the search. She, Data and Troi beam to the location of the platinum, a cave mouth, where they meet a man who says he’s been expecting them. Crusher tells La Forge there are 82 more cases of the virus and she’s converted a holodeck to deal with it. Worf then leaves the bridge to go to sickbay. Meanwhile Yar tells Ramsey how they found him, and tells him they’re bringing him home. He shocks them by telling them he doesn’t want to leave as he and the others are happy. They have wives and in some cases children. Beata tells Riker that Ramsey and his friends are anarchists and outlaws. She starts flirting with him, and as they start to kiss, Trent walks in with a present that Riker has brought for her. He shows her the Albeni meditation crystal, before they get back to kissing. Ramsey tells the rest of the away team that at first they thought Angel One was great, but then they saw how the men had no respect and were discriminated against. When they spoke out, they were forced to become fugitives. He refuses to leave, and Data adds that they can’t force him, as he and his crew are not part of Starfleet, nor do they have to obey the Prime Directive. Yar contacts La Forge to say they’re returning and he informs them that one-third of the crew is infected and more Romulan vessels are converging in the Neutral Zone. Ramsey won’t tell them how he knew they were coming, but after they beam up, Ariel comes out of the cave and kisses him. Riker is with Beata when Trent enters and tells her that the away team hasn’t got the survivors. Yar fills in Riker, and then Beata says she is forced to sentence the survivors to death. Dr. Crusher visits Picard in his quarters to give him some medicine and notices the same odor that Picard smelled at the holodeck. She realises that this is the way the virus spreads. Down on the planet, Data tells Riker that seven Romulan battlecruisers are now in the vicinity of the outpost, and the [[USS Berlin|USS Berlin]] has responded to the distress call. However the presence of the Enterprise is still regarded as vital. Beata brings in Ramsey and his crew, whom she found by having Ariel followed. She tells Riker that the fugitives are to be executed tomorrow. Riker is outraged and asks her for another chance to convince Ramsey to leave with them. She agrees, but Ramsey still won’t go. Riker wants to beam them aboard anyway, against their will, in violation of regulations. However, Dr. Crusher won't allow anyone to come aboard the ship. Geordi has succumbed to the virus, and she can’t find a cure. Riker orders Data to beam up and take the Enterprise to the Neutral Zone before it’s too late. The next day, Trent invites them to come to the execution. Data contacts them and says they still have time before their ship has to leave for the Neutral Zone: 47 minutes to be exact. Riker agrees to attend the execution, which will be carried out by dematerialising the fugitives. Riker makes a speech about how Beata is trying to hold back evolution, which can’t be done, and warns her that she’ll make a martyr out of Ramsey. At the last second, she relents and adjourns to reconsider. Crusher contacts Riker and tells him she’s devised an inoculant. Beata then returns and says she’s decided to stay the executions, and she exiles Ramsey and his followers to a remote region. The away team returns to the Enterprise and gets inoculated against the virus. Captain Picard, although hoarse, has returned to the bridge, and the ship heads for the Neutral Zone. Log Entries * Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), 2364 Memorable Quotes "I think I may sneeze." "A Klingon sneeze?" "Only kind I know." : - Worf and La Forge, discuss matters on the bridge "Engineering reports computer ma... ah... 'ACHOO!!' ...I'm sorry, I'm getting sick." "I'm sure half the ship knows that by now." : - Worf and Geordi, on Worf's rather loud "Klingon sneeze". "Make it so!" : - Geordi, posing as captain. (hoarsely) "Mr. Data, set course for the Neutral Zone. Warp Six." "Course set, Captain." (inaudibly) "Engage." "Sir?" (Picard turns to Riker, who gives the order) "Engage." : - Picard, Data, and Riker, after Picard's recovery from the virus. Background Information Production Script Writer Michael Rhodes ran afoul of Gene Roddenberry when he wanted to create more conflict in the script for "Angel One". Roddenberry ruled out conflict as a dramatic device. Rhodes, who came to this one-shot Star Trek: The Next Generation assignment from scripting episodes of the series Fame, enjoyed working on the show, despite the disappointing quality of the episode as filmed. Rhodes whimsically agreed that the episode was sexist, and recalled how oblivious to this Roddenberry was. When Rhodes suggested that the episode be used to examine the unconscious vestiges of sexism that might, perhaps, still linger in the englighted twenty-fourth century minds of Picard and his crew, Roddenberry dismissed the notion out of hand, and admonished a surprised Rhodes that there was no place for conflict in Star Trek. Nevertheless, Patrick Stewart would later observe that there was still considerable sexism in the script for The Next Generation, a fact that disturbed him. Eventually he and Jonathan Frakes protested, along with Marina Sirtis and others. Rhodes, perplexed, could not quite fathom how to create interesting drama without some sort of conflict. Still, his memories of working on the show, especially with the cast, were generally pleasant. There is no denying, however, that the creative process was undergoing some peculiar distortions during the first season of The Next Generation, which became extremely evident in "Angel One". Production design The matte painting of the surface of Angel One would be reused countless times in later Star Trek episodes. Image:Malcor_III.jpg|Malcor III, new painting TNG: "First Contact" Image:Krios.jpg|Krios Prime TNG: "The Mind's Eye" Image:KlaestronNight.JPG|Klaestron IV DS9: "Dax" Image:Baneasurface.jpg|Banea VOY: "Ex Post Facto" The first reuse came in the episode "Samaritan Snare", when the Angel One matte was used to depict Starbase 515 without any change. In the episode "First Contact", the painting remained substantially the same to depict the surface of Malcor III, though the colors were slightly more intense, the hue being overall more green compared to Angel One. A completely new painting was produced to represent another view of the planet, the style being similar to the original Angel One scenery. In the episode "The Mind's Eye", the Angel One matte was modified to represent the Klingon colony Krios Prime. Trees were removed, and the style of the buildings were "Klingon-ized". Several new buildings were added in the background, the most prominent barring the Klingon emblem. For the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, "Dax", much of the original Angel One scenery was restored, adding a new tall building in the background for the night shot (which had curiously disappered at day) and omitting some of the greenery. The colours for the day shot are more intense than the original matte; instead, it appears more similar to Malcor III. The most recent reuse of the Angel One matte came on the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Ex Post Facto", when it was used to depict the surface of Banea. Likewise, pieces of decoration from the episode were seen many more times on various episodes. * including white lamps in various sizes, helix-shaped statues and round wall decorations. * The silver box in which Riker keeps the Albeni meditation crystal would later house Miles O'Brien's pet spider Christina in "Realm of Fear". *The pen that Mistress Beata uses to sign the death sentences would many years later pop up as a pen again in the VOY episode "Resistance". A flower shaped wall decoration (presumably the Angel I logo) is seen in several scenes in the episode. Trivia *This episode marks the first mention of the Romulans in The Next Generation, although there must not have been much going on at the border, since by TNG: "The Neutral Zone," there had still been no "official" contact with them since 2311. *One of the Odin survivors would later play a regular non-speaking nurse in the show's second season. *Ramsey keeps rather 20th Century-ish wings as a talisman. *A mystery hand is taking Mistress Beata's glass in the scene with Riker. Video and DVD releases *Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 7, . *UK re-release (three-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 1.5, . *As part of the TNG Season 1 DVD collection. Links and References Guest Stars *Karen Montgomery as Beata *Sam Hennings as Ramsey *Patricia McPherson as Ariel *Leonard John Crofoot as Trent Co-Starring *Guy Vardaman as Darien Wallace (uncredited) *Chris Hall as Wesley's friend References 47; 2302; 2357; Albeni meditation crystal; Angel I; Angel system; Armus IX; Armus system; asteroid; ''Berlin'', USS; bingo; Denubian Alps; Elected One; escape pod; freighter; Hesperan thumping cough; hypospray; Kabatris; throgni; platinum; prime directive; ''Odin'', SS; Quazulu VIII; Quazulu system; Quazulu VIII virus; Romulan battlecruiser; Romulan Neutral Zone; Wong Sources * Van Hise, James, Trek: The Unauthorized Behind-The-Scenes Story of The Next Generation (1992) |next= }} Category:TNG episodes de:Planet Angel One es:Angel One fr:Angel One nl:Angel One